Chapter 932: Heaven Will Not Disappoint You, Mister

Beside the lotus pond.

Miss Yun was already old, and Chen Changsheng looked just as aged and weathered.

Inexplicably, the two of them looked like a perfect match, as if they had spent the better part of a lifetime together—harmonious and deeply respectful of one another.

Chen Changsheng fished a few peanuts out of his pocket and handed them to Miss Yun.

"Peanuts?"

"Mhm," Chen Changsheng said. "I got them from Tang Mingjing. They taste pretty good. Quite sweet. I remembered you like sweet things, so I brought some over."

Miss Yun shelled one and tasted it. It was indeed quite good, carrying a hint of sweetness.

But in truth, Mister was mistaken.

She didn't actually like sweet things all that much.

Because she was Yunxiang, not Zhu Qi, who loved candied fruit.

But it didn't matter anymore.

Yunxiang had long since made peace with these things. No matter who he was thinking of, it was still a kindness he was showing her.

Yunxiang led him to a small pavilion, and they sat down.

The two hadn't seen each other in a long time, yet they didn't chatter endlessly like they used to. On the contrary, Miss Yun spoke very little, and Chen Changsheng did the same.

Most likely, they both anticipated what was coming.

Both were well aware of it.

Yunxiang looked at the lake water beneath the pavilion. As always, red and yellow fish swam back and forth. All the fish in this courtyard were those same colors, largely identical, with nothing special about them.

The wind from Huaixu Lane blew into the pavilion.

It lifted the white strands of hair at Miss Yun's temples. She sighed, her voice tinged with a slight hoarseness.

"Mister, I'm afraid Yunxiang won't be able to wait for the next time."

Yunxiang didn't know when she would die, but Zhu Qi would tell her.

Chen Changsheng's heart paused slightly, but he remained calm on the surface.

Yunxiang opened her mouth to speak, but the breeze slipped in; it was as if she had swallowed the wind, choking back the words she was about to say.

Chen Changsheng asked, "What does Miss Yun plan to do?"

Yunxiang smiled. "Didn't we already agree on that long ago?"

Chen Changsheng didn't speak for a long moment. He followed her gaze to the lake outside the pavilion.

Yunxiang touched her cheek. Through the reflection on the water, she could vaguely make out her own face. It was so old. Only as the years slipped past her fingertips did she finally understand the ruthlessness of time.

She asked, "When the time comes, see me off, Mister. Yunxiang wants to leave beautifully."

But before Chen Changsheng could respond, Yunxiang changed her mind. "Forget it, never mind. If you end up not being able to come, wouldn't you dwell on it for a long time? Better not."

Chen Changsheng opened his mouth but couldn't form a single word. He stepped forward, gently touched Yunxiang's hair, and said, "This Chen will definitely come."

Yunxiang didn't look at him. Her gaze remained fixed on the tranquil lake.

Only the fish could stir up a few ripples on its surface. But against the vast expanse of water, those tiny ripples vanished in the blink of an eye.

Yunxiang suddenly felt a warmth welling in her eyes. She let out a soft breath and closed them.

"Let's not talk about this anymore."

When she opened her eyes again, it was as if nothing had happened.

She squeezed out a smile and said, "Let me show you around, Mister. Shangjing City is very lively right now."

Chen Changsheng looked at her and nodded. "Alright."

In a place as massive as Shangjing City, there was an endless stream of bustle to witness.

The streets were thronged with carriages and horses. Vendors set up along the roadsides, shouting out their wares. After night fell, colorful lanterns illuminated the avenues.

The mouth-watering scent of food constantly drifted through the air—vendors selling candied hawthorn skewers, steamed buns, or small, simmering pots of broth. Down at the docks, laborers sat huddled together eating their meals. The city held a bit of everything: prosperity, backbreaking toil, and profound loneliness.

Walking further in, one could see the towering, vermilion palace walls, projecting an aura of absolute majesty.

The two walked through many places.

When they grew tired, they sat down to rest. Miss Yun was old now; she wasn't what she used to be. After walking a certain distance, she needed to sit and massage her aching legs.

Chen Changsheng said, "This Chen can cast an art..."

Yunxiang shook her head. "Better not. It's only a few steps. Yunxiang isn't so old that she can't even walk."

She had always been a stubborn girl at heart.

A bitter feeling welled up inside Chen Changsheng, but in the end, he couldn't say another word.

As they wandered through Shangjing City, they passed a candied fruit shop.

Yunxiang stopped and asked him, "Have you finished the candied fruit I gave you before, Mister?"

Chen Changsheng paused for a moment. "Not yet."

"You eat so slowly, Mister," Yunxiang said. "You should eat them quicker; they won't be fresh if you keep them too long. I know you know magic arts and the candied fruit won't spoil, but if you don't eat them in time, the flavor certainly won't be as good as when they were first made."

Chen Changsheng took her words to heart and nodded. "Alright."

Yunxiang thought for a moment, then added, "Let's buy a bit more anyway."

Her emotions were a tangled mess. After buying a bag of candied fruit, she changed her tune again. "Actually, never mind. Take your time eating them, Mister. Once they're gone, you'll have to buy them yourself from now on."

She thought about how a man like him was always deeply respected by others.

Who else would ever give him something as simple as candied fruit?

She was afraid that if he ate them too slowly, the flavor would go bad. Yet she was also afraid that if he ate them too quickly, he wouldn't have any left. And when he wanted more, he would have to buy them himself, burdened with the memory.

Miss Yun had so many thoughts weighing on her mind.

So many that she found herself calculating things far, far into the future.

Yet, at the same time, her thoughts were very few.

So few that all of them were spent entirely on a single person.

Chen Changsheng struggled internally for a long time before finally saying, "Actually, you don't have to leave..."

Yunxiang's body stiffened, her footsteps coming to a halt.

She turned back to look at him and shook her head. "Mister, you shouldn't say the wrong thing on a momentary impulse ever again. Some mistakes, once made, become truly impossible to undo."

After saying that, she turned back around and continued walking forward.

Chen Changsheng fell silent. Naturally, he understood what she meant.

Both of them knew it with absolute clarity.

The two of them were deeply entangled with one another, yet in reality, they had always been worlds apart.

Much of everything between them was, in truth, an illusion. It couldn't even be called affection.

Yunxiang understood as well. Everything he had given her was born from nothing more than guilt and self-blame, and even more so, because of her unyielding obsession. If she hadn't been so relentlessly persistent, he wouldn't have been put in such a difficult position.

Passing away just like this would actually be a release.

A release for her, and an equal release for him.

The moment she knew her death was approaching, she had already made her peace.

Over the course of that day...

The two of them wandered all across Shangjing City.

From midday all the way to sunset, and then they witnessed the bustling splendor of the city by night.

Everything around them had changed so much; it was as if they didn't recognize the place anymore.

Some of the shops they remembered from years past had long since changed their signboards, now run by unknown faces. Other storefronts had changed managers—perhaps a son inheriting from his departed father, or an apprentice taking over for his master.

Time urged on the relentless turnover of the world. It wasn't just the cycle of the sun and moon, but generation after generation of people.

Gazing at the countless glowing lanterns of thousands of homes, Yunxiang said to him, "Don't be sad, Mister. We will all eventually grow old beneath the weight of time. Yunxiang can't stay by your side forever, but there will always be someone who can."

"Heaven will not disappoint you, Mister."